bar masa

If you dream about spicy tuna rolls and yellowtail tartare but find the idea of spending $400/head on sushi the teensiest bit appalling, take a few steps further on the forth floor of the time warner center and you'll find yourself at the entrance to bar masa, masa's smaller and (comparatively) economical off-shoot. The space is narrow, with a long bar and equally long line of tables running parallel to each other, beautifully and effectively separated by a thin curtain.  The soft lighting and neutral colors give the room an almost spa-like feel, and contribute to the casual, surprisingly unpretentious atmosphere.

 

Onto the best part: the food. We started with the hirame and spicy cucumber vinaigrette - thinly sliced and incredibly delicate pieces of hirame on top of cucumber. Deliciously light and fresh, though quick word of warning: don't order this if you don't like cilantro. Then came the sizzling hibachi-grilled spicy octopus (possibly the best thing we had all night - see picture) and the eggplant glazed in yuzu miso (also possibly the best thing we had all night). I would go back for these two dishes alone. The bowl of hijiki and root vegetables was also fantastic - the vegetables were chopped into tiny matchsticks and tossed with impossibly thin, translucent noodles - as were the shrimp and vegetable tempura udon and the black cod with daikon (see picture below) - incredibly tender cod sitting in a subtly sweet broth that was so good we ordered extra bowls of rice to soak up every last bit.

Now. Although the food is amazing, it would be considered absurdly expensive just about anywhere else in the world. My advice? Think about how much you're saving ($28 scallop ceviche is still not $400 scallop ceviche), and enjoy. Or else try to convince a rich relative to take you.




10 Columbus Circle, 4th Floor, Time Warner Center
website
*recommendations:
  hirame with spicy cucumber vinaigrette
  sizzling spicy octopus
  nasu eggplant with yuzu miso
  hijiki and root vegetables
  black cod with daikon
  shrimp and vegetable tempura udon

tarallucci e vino

An adorable coffeehouse-by-day, wine-bar-by-night that I stumbled upon a few nights ago with some friends. We wandered in around seven and ordered a few glasses of wine. The place was the perfect amount of crowded (nearly full but not horribly noisy, with a few scattered open seats), and we managed to score a corner of the bar for ourselves. The bartender was helpful and friendly, and brought over a surprisingly hearty tray of delicious (and free!) finger food - marinated olives, cherry tomatoes topped with mozzarella, fried parmesan - that was greatly appreciated. I can't speak to the dinner menu, though everything I saw looked great. And my friends who've been say that breakfast and brunch are incredible - apparently, the whole wheat croissant with honey, the chocolate croissant (pictured above), the poached eggs with asparagus and shavings of parmesan, and especially the cappuccino and iced espresso are not to be missed. We went to the flatiron location, but the restaurant has two other locations - in the east village and, more recently, the upper west side.

15 East 18th Street (b/w Broadway and 5th)
163 1st Ave (at 10th Street)
475 Columbus Ave (at 83rd Street)

zabars

http://www.zabars.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Zabars-Site/default/Home-Show

Ok. So Zabar's isn't exactly a restaurant. But it's almost an entire city block long, sells over 8,000 lbs of coffee a week, and is visited by nearly 5,000 customers a day. And it has the most amazing nova in the entire world. So I think it deserves a post. 

In one form or another, Zabar's has been located on the corner of broadway and 80th for over 70 years. It's a grocery store that has one of the most celebrated fish counters in the city, an on-site bakery and an impressive selection of cookware. But, as they say, Zabar's has to be experienced to be truly understood. The feel of old new york is everywhere: crowds of people squished into narrow aisles packed with food, the smell of smoked fish, brewing coffee and baking croissants, the samples of fancy, foreign cheese and just-out-of-the-oven russian coffee cake (dense and gooey and filled with chunks of apple and raisins - definitely recommend it!). Don't come here for every day grocery shopping - it's too expensive and too crowded. Come to grab a slice of chocolate babka or a homemade bagel smeared with fluffy cream cheese and topped with salty, unbelievably creamy nova, come with friends from out of town (they'll be impressed, I promise), or come just to wander - the aisles are packed with more treasures than you can imagine, and the samples (often found around just about every corner) make for a far more than satisfactory lunch.

2245 Broadway (at 80th Street)
website

good enough to eat

http://www.goodenoughtoeat.com/

I came here for the first time with my brother a couple of months ago. My friend who had recommended it to me grew up just a few blocks away, and came at least once or twice a month with his family. I can understand why: Good Enough to Eat is an appealing, country-style neighborhood cafe that serves memorable, inexpensive food. I ordered the tuna nicoise salad that came with perfectly-pink tuna and a tangy pesto vinaigrette; my brother got a burger served in a homemade pepper roll and a slice of the rich, sticky devil's food cake. Sitting in this Vermont-inspired restaurant, you feel just the tiniest bit removed from the craziness of the city - which, at least in my book, can be a very much welcome experience. As a side note, I've since been back for breakfast and would definitely recommend it.

483 Amsterdam (at 83rd St.)
website

*recommendations:
  banana walnut pancakes
  tuna nicoise salad
  griddled corn bread

cafe lalo

nymag.com

Most famous for its brief appearance in You've Got Mail (remember when Tom Hanks first goes to meet his mysterious email correspondent and finds Meg Ryan with the rose and her copy of Pride and Prejudice? That's this restaurant), Cafe Lalo is just as warm and cozy as it appears on screen. Located on a lovely, brownstone-lined block, Cafe Lalo is elevated just high enough from street level that visitors lucky enough to grab tables by the huge, opened windows will look straight out into the glittering lights strung year-round in the trees outside. The menu is simple and straightforward (omelettes, salads, sandwiches), but can't compare to the selection of over 100 cakes, pies and tarts that are temptingly displayed in the front of the cafe. I can't promise that you'll find Meg Ryan waiting for you with a rose in hand, but I bet you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

201 W. 83rd St. (b/w Broadway and Amsterdam)
website

*recommendations:
  fresh, organic eggs with feta, olives and mixed herbs
  authentic belgian waffle (go for the cinnamon whipped cream)
  black & white mousse cake

16 handles

http://www.une-vie-saine.com/2011/07/16-handles.html

This place is one of the reasons why, when I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to move to New York. The froyo is amazing - sweet, light and satisfying - and the toppings' bar dangerously extensive. Most flavors range from 90 to 110 calories per 3 oz. My personal favorites: irish mint, chocolate eruption, graham cracker and snickerdoodle. And a quick tip: cinnamon toast crunch is surprisingly good on ice cream.

153 2nd Ave (b/w 9th and 10th)
1569 2nd Ave (b/w 81st and 82nd)
325 Amsterdam (b/w 75th and 76th)
website

Josie's

A godsend for all those interested in healthy eating. The menu is full of fresh vegetables, grains and proteins that taste as though they've come right from the farm. Even more, the atmosphere is a million times better than we've come to expect when we hear 'health food restaurant': the tables are sleek and the lighting is warm and trendy. I came to Josie's West a few weeks ago with my brother, a junior in college who survives largely on pizza, burgers and soda. Needless to say, it isn't always easy to find restaurants that please us both. This one did. As Josie's claims, the menu satisfies "vegetarians, meat lovers, sushi fanatics and all those in between." They aren't lying. The menu does span that far. And amazingly enough, just about everything is good.

565 3rd Ave (at 35th St.)
300 Amsterdam (at 74th St.)
website

*recommendations:
  seared asian-marinated organic tofu salad
  natural pumpkin ravioli
  seared yellowfin tuna burger

sarabeth's kitchen

Uptown's favorite bakery and brunch spot, Sarabeth's is classic New York. The food is simple and delicious (think delicate omelettes filled with fresh vegetables and shredded cheeses, buttery scones with currants and homemade jam, rich slices of lemon buttermilk cake), the atmosphere warm, lively and lovely, the lines sometimes stretching far out the door. I've heard the dinner menu is also fantastic, but I've never been able to stay away from those warm sunday-morning pumpkin muffins.

423 Amsterdam (b/w 80th and 81st)
1295 Madison (b/w 92nd and 93rd)
40 Central Park S. (b/w 5th and 6th)
75 9th Ave (at 15th) - bakery, at Chelsea Market
website

*recommendations:
  egg white omelettes
  pumpkin muffins